ABSTUDY and DAFF Income Support Payments Reduced to Nil Rate

DFISA-like payment regulations

TheVeterans' Entitlements (DFISA-like Payment) Regulations 2005provide that if a person's rate of ABSTUDY living allowance or DAFF income support payment is nil but they receive DFISA-like in respect of that payment:

they are entitled to any benefits associated with the ABSTUDY living allowance or DAFF income support payment, and

the person is subject to all of the obligations applicable to recipients of that payment, such as the obligation to notify Centrelink of changes to income.

The provision does not apply to people who have elected not to receive DFISA-like payments.

Please note that since 2014, the Department of Agriculture's Farm Household Allowance (FHA) paid by DHS does not include Adjusted Disability Pension in the FHA income test and thus there is no DFISA-like payment.

Impact on recipient obligations

A person whose rate of ABSTUDY or DAFF income support payment is nil but who receives a rate of DFISA-like in respect of that payment will be subject to the obligations applicable to their income support payment.

Entitlement to concessions and benefits

A person whose rate of ABSTUDY or DAFF income support payment is nil but who receives a rate of DFISA-like in respect of that payment will also be entitled to all additional benefits available to the recipient of that income support payment. These additional benefits include:

concession cards available to recipients of the ABSTUDY living allowance,

re-establishment grants for certain DAFF clients, and

grants under the Training and Advice Scheme for recipients of DAFF.

The department that administers the primary payment administers these benefits.

Centrelink is a Government service delivery agency responsible for delivering a range of Commonwealth Government services (including social security pensions and allowances) to the Australian community through a network of more than 400 Centrelink offices.

About CLIK

The Consolidated Library of Information and Knowledge (CLIK) contains all the legislative, policy and reference material used by DVA staff in providing service to the clients of the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

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Important legislative change

As a result of this legislative change, the Department is updating its published information, including hardcopy and website content, as well as CLIK. While this process is well underway, it will take some time before all changes are complete. In the meantime, references within CLIK to the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 or SRCA should now generally be understood to be references to the new DRCA (with the exception of intended historical references to SRCA). It is important to note that the same provision references (i.e., sections, subsections and paragraphs) from the SRCA have been retained in the DRCA.